


Dance Along the Light of Day

by Sachiela



Series: Did You Finally Get the Chance to? [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fix-it fic, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Neither Adam nor Allura are dead because I say so, Post Season 8, Shiro/Adam mentioned, random space puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-29 21:51:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19839202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sachiela/pseuds/Sachiela
Summary: When out with the Blade of Marmora on an outreach mission to help one of the many planets devastated by the Galra empire, Kosmo leads Keith to an abandoned litter of...well, they look like puppies. Not sure what else to do to help them out, he takes them to Lance.





	Dance Along the Light of Day

**Author's Note:**

> Post Season 8
> 
> Written for the Stars Align zine, which can be found here: <https://thestarsalign-klancezine.tumblr.com/post/186135109358/our-discord-suggested-separating-the-two-zines-so>
> 
> Title and series name are from "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.

Keith pulled the last large crate onto the hover pad and gave it a push to the Blade waiting by the door. He took a deep breath and moved a few stray hairs that had fallen out of his ponytail behind his ear. He’d have to fix that later. 

Kosmo zapped into existence right next to him before he had a chance to see if there was anything else he could help with, pulling on his sleeve with a whine. He still wasn’t sure of the wolf’s actual name, but of the ones the other paladins had suggested, this one fit the best. 

“Okay, okay. Lead the way,” he said softly. He followed Kosmo out of the supply ship and around it, away from where the other Blades were working to hand out supplies. He gave a quick wave to Krolia as he passed her, which she acknowledged with a nod.

The planet they were on was just another of the countless ones conquered by Zarkon’s empire over lifetimes, and it showed. Outside of the city center, where rebuilding efforts had been taking place for pheebs, the buildings were crumbing. More than once Keith had to climb over a slab of fallen wall to keep up with his space wolf. 

It was a building that looked even worse off than the others that Kosmo stopped in front of, whining and sniffing along the former threshold. From inside came the sound of soft whimpers and Keith hurried inside. 

Kosmo moved past him with a huff, leading the way to a pile of blankets in the corner. 

Stepping closer carefully, Keith paused when the bundle moved and the tiny nose of  _ something _ peeked its way out. He kneeled next to the bundle as Kosmo nosed the loose fabric aside, revealing five little infant... _ puppies _ , he supposed was the best description of them, eyes still closed tight. They weren’t exactly like puppies he’d seen on Earth, just like Kosmo wasn’t exactly like the wolves from there, but there were enough similarities to make the connection. 

Kosmo bumped noses with the one that had stuck out and it pulled back with a rather indignant sounding squeak. 

“I’m guessing if you brought me here, there’s no sign of a parent around to take care of them?” Keith asked.

Kosmo snorted and shook his head.

“All right,” Keith sighed, standing back up and looking around. He couldn’t carry them out without some help, not if they had to climb back over the wreckage out there. 

Thankfully there was a large enough piece of fabric hanging from the wall, part of an old curtain, that hadn’t been chewed through by whatever insects lived on this planet. He yanked it down and used it to fashion a sling bag that he could hang across his chest. At least that way the top would be open and he didn’t have to worry about suffocating the little things by accident. 

That made, Keith gathered up the critters, dirty bedding and all, and placed them in the bag before pulling the strap over his head and standing slowly. His new passengers yipped and he tried to soothe them, but he couldn’t help that they were likely scared by the movement. 

He made his way slowly back to the supply ship, not climbing as much if he could avoid it, even if it meant it took him nearly three times as long to return to his mother. 

“Keith, what—“ Krolia started to ask, but stopped when the little things started yipping again. 

Keith pulled the strap back over his head and placed the bundle on a nearby bench. “He found them and said there wasn’t a parent around to take care of them. Do you think anyone here could help?”

One of the locals came over when the noises from the creatures got steadily louder, probably desperately trying to call their parents. “Oh, you found a litter of matjo. They’re so young, too. I don’t think they’ll survive without their birther.”

(Okay, so some words still translated funny through the communication device by his ear, it would seem. He’d have to ask Pidge and Hunk to take a look at it later.)

“There’s no way one of you could take care of them?” Keith asked, biting his lip.

The local let out a series of clicks that sounded sympathetic and shook their head. “We don’t have the resources nor a surplus of help that could take them on, not with the amount of attention they need, especially when it’s such a slim chance they would survive to adulthood.”

Frowning, Keith looked at the young pups and then down at Kosmo, who whined and licked his hand. His wolf had brought him to them to help them. He couldn’t just leave them now. 

Kosmo sat on his hindquarters and lifted one paw up, just like Lance had taught him—

_ Lance _ . 

If anyone could help him with these guys, he could. He’d had no problems with Kaltenecker, had managed to teach Kosmo how to  _ fetch _ (which Keith might still be salty about). He was Keith’s best bet and the little ones’ best shot. 

“I...might know someone who can help. Would it be okay for me to take them off world?” Keith pointedly ignored the look Krolia was giving him. She had probably come to the same conclusion he had. 

And no matter what she thought, it had nothing to do with his crush. 

The local let out another series of clicks, but Keith couldn’t guess the meaning of them. “There’s no reason for anyone here to object. If someone else can help them, then by all means please take them.”

“Go ahead and take one of the escort ships to the teludav point. I’ll let Kolivan know what’s going on,” Krolia said. When Keith gave her a grateful smile, she added, “And be sure to tell Lance ‘hi,’ for me.”

Keith didn’t bother to give Krolia more than a nod of thanks, even if his cheeks did heat up slightly. 

On his way to one of the ships, Keith found a small empty crate and figured it would be better to carry the pups in there in the ship than risk them sliding around and getting stuck under a loose panel or something. He lowered the makeshift bag inside and tucked the edges of the fabric up the sides.

It wasn’t much, but it would have to do for now.

It was a short flight back to Earth with the teludav and he landed at the Garrison main base soon after. Shiro greeted him as he got off the ship, quickly raising an eyebrow in question when the crate he carried started whimpering. 

“They were orphaned and no one on their planet could help them. I thought Lance might be able to help,” Keith admitted softly, feeling more embarrassed telling this to Shiro than he had back with his mother. Probably because he knew about Keith’s crush from the moment it started. 

Shiro gave him a pat on the shoulder and guided him back to the garage. “I’ll drive you over. But you know that Adam’s going to be giving you a ton of shit as soon as he hears about this, right?”

“No chance I could convince you not to tell him?”

“You really think I’m going to keep any secrets from him? Especially something as cute as this?”

Keith groaned. “ _ Shiro… _ ”

Laughing, Shiro shuttled Keith and Kosmo over to the McClain family farm. Shiro chatted with mister and missus McClain for a bit while Rachel pointed to a small house built on the other side of the flower field.

“We’re all working on getting our own places built around here. The main house feels too crowded at times, you know? Lance picked over there for his spot and it was the second one we got finished.”

“Thanks,” Keith replied with a smile and Rachel shooed him off with a grin.

The critters were getting fussier and Keith did the best he could to hurry without jostling them too much. Holding the crate securely against his chest with one hand, he used the other to knock. 

“One sec!” Lance called, opening the door a moment later. “Keith! Good to see you! What brings—“ He looked down at the crate and grinned. “Did you bring me space puppies?”

Keith looked down at the crate. “Yeah, I...Kosmo found them and there wasn’t a parent around for them and no one back on the planet they’re from could take care of them, so I thought...maybe you could help?”

This was stupid, wasn’t it? Lance had a whole life out here. He probably didn’t have time either to take care of a bunch of orphaned—

“Yeah, sure, bring them in. I’ll get some milk from Kaltenecker and I think I have some spare blankets around,” Lance replied. “Not sure if that’s what they’ll need to eat in the long run, but it’s probably our best shot.”

Keith followed Lance inside and placed the crate on the coffee table as directed while Lance ran out back for a moment. He returned shortly after with a large blanket and a bucket of milk, along with what looked like tiny baby bottles.

“So, we should be good here. It’s Kaltenecker’s blanket, but since summer is right around the corner, I figured she wouldn’t miss it for a couple months. Or we’ll get her a new one. And I was actually able to find the old bottles Rachel used when helping a litter of kittens before I joined the Garrison. They don’t have sharp teeth, do they?”

“I...um…” Unsure of the answer, Keith picked up one of the pups carefully and tapped his finger against its nose. It immediately latched onto his finger and tried to suck, whining more when nothing was available for food. “No teeth.”

Lance laughed as he set up the blanket next to the couch, where Kosmo immediately settled down, and placed the bucket and bottles next to the crate. “Did you seriously just stick your finger in a baby alien’s mouth to check for teeth?”

Keith stuck his tongue out. “Easier than try to pry its mouth open and potentially hurting it.”

“Fair, fair.” Lance filled both bottles and held one out to Keith. “Well, since you have that one in hand already, wanna feed it while I grab another?”

Slowly, Keith took the bottle and nodded. He copied Lance’s movements perfectly, holding the critter in one hand and tapping the bottle nipple against the little one’s nose until it latched on and started sucking greedily. He smiled and looked up at Lance, flushing when he realized the other was watching him with a soft look on his face.

“You’re a complete natural at this, though that’s really no surprise,” Lance commented, though his tone was fond rather than accusatory like it used to be, back when everything first started. “So...what have you been up to since we last met up?”

How long ago had that been? Months? No, they’d all had a brief video call last month, so he didn’t have to remember back too far. “Mostly helping the Blade deliver supplies to planets still devastated by Zarkon’s empire, same as always.”

Lance smiled as he placed his fed pup by Kosmo, who curled around it to keep it warm, and pulled the next one out, filling the bottle and starting again. “Any excitement with the Red Paladin helping deliver aid?” 

“Nah, I do my best to stay back, unloading the cargo rather than helping pass it out. Krolia and Kolivan are much better at dealing with the crowds than me.”

“Seriously, man? No one out there even catch your eye, maybe find someone special?” Lance asked, obviously prying, but Keith appreciated the chance to maybe find out more about Lance as well.

He shook his head. “No one out there is gonna be the right person for me.”

“Because...you already have someone in mind?”

Keith shrugged, placing his pup down with Kosmo and getting the bottle ready again before grabbing the next one. “Maybe. What about you, though? I heard...that you and Allura broke up?”

It wasn’t a huge secret, after Allura had miraculously returned to them things had been different between her and Lance, but Keith tried to keep his tone gentle. He wasn’t sure how Lance was feeling about that, after all.

Lance looked away for the first time, staring at the pup in his hand. “Yeah, it just didn’t work out, you know? We’re at different points of our lives and she needs to be with her people. She’d thought she’d lost them all for so long. And I...I’m still trying to figure out what to do with myself, you know? I needed a break from everything after the war. It really hit me hard how many times I...how many times any of us almost  _ died _ . It was an eye-opener. Made me really think of what I actually needed and wanted out of my life. I’m not a leader like Allura, not one for going out in space for long stints away from Earth like you to help people. I want to help, but I want to try to figure out a way I can do that without sacrificing the connection I need to my family.”

Keith nodded, even if Lance couldn’t see it. The Cuban boy had missed home more than any of them during their time in space, of course he would want to find a way to stay here. Keith bit his cheek for a moment, then figured why the hell not? “Shiro...mentioned that you might be a good instructor at the Garrison, and I agree. You’re much better at talking to a crowd than I’ll ever be. And I know you’re great with kids.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, samurai. Don’t think I didn’t see that video Krolia sent of you getting swarmed by that orphanage a few months back.”

Keith laughed along with Lance, the memory more sweet than embarrassing, even after such a short time. “Yeah, maybe. I’ve been...thinking of leaving the Blades, actually.”

“Seriously?” Lance looked back up, eyes wide. His second pup done with its bottle, he quickly place it down and started feeding the last one. “Any particular reason?”

“I don’t think I’m needed there anymore. The number of rebellions, those still loyal to Zarkon, are pretty much all gone. And while it’s nice helping all those planets, it’s...I don’t know.”

Lance gave him a grin, making his stomach do a few flips. “Amazing what access to enough food and shelter for everyone will do for morale, huh? But, really, you know that you don’t have to find someplace that you’re needed. Sometimes you should just go where you  _ want _ to be.”

Deflecting a little, though he was not as good at it as Lance, Keith shrugged. “What about you? Do you have some place you want to go?”

“Nah, I’m best here, remember? It’s not everything I want yet, but I’m...hopeful it will be.”

Keith placed his second pup with the other fed ones and left the bottle on the table, figuring they’d wash it later. “What’s missing?” He couldn’t see anything necessarily lacking from this house, but he wasn’t good at personal touches. He glanced over at Lance and froze under the serious look on his face. “Lance?”

The last pup joined the others and Kosmo curled tightly around all of them, settling with a huff and closing his eyes. For a lack of anything else to do, Keith folded one leg up on the couch, hugging it to his chest. Lance’s lack of immediate reply was concerning, but he wasn’t sure how to fix the awkward air suddenly between them. It hadn’t felt like this in ages and Keith couldn’t help but think he’d said something horribly wrong again, stepped over some unseen boundary that social cues should have clued him in on.

Before he could try to make an escape, Lance sighed and tipped back against the couch, closing his eyes. Keith might have used the opportunity to stare at the former blue paladin, take in all the little details that had changed since the end of the war. While training and fighting had made them all muscular, Lance’s frame had filled out even more with his time back on Earth. Nowhere near as much as Shiro’s, but there was a toned strength Keith could see in his movements. His skin was definitely a shade or two darker, too, most likely from hours in the sun. They had all been a little more on the pale side by the time the Voltron lions had left their universe, too many hours in the darkness of space. The color looked good on him, though, made him look healthier, more alive.

Keith suddenly feared how sickly pale he must look, given that he was still spending so much time in space. Maybe he should just leave.

“It’s...not exactly something I can build or just pick up in a store,” Lance said suddenly, as if there hadn’t been a break in the conversation at all. “What I’m missing, I mean. I just...need to find the right person to share it with, to really make this a home, you know?”

Hugging his leg tighter, Keith bit his lower lip. He understood what Lance meant, very clearly. He’d never felt more at home than when the paladins were all together, no matter where that might be. And he knew Lance made him feel that way more than anyone else. Before he could give himself a chance to think twice about it, he sucked in a breath and let it out in a rush. “If I...wanted to see if I could be that person for you...would that be all right?” 

Lance’s head shot up from the back of the couch and Keith gripped his leg even more, nails digging into the Marmora suit fabric. Shit, should he not have said anything? 

A hand on his made him twitch and look up at Lance, his own wide eyes completely opposite of the other’s soft gaze. This was either really good or really bad and either way Keith couldn’t stop the way his heart was pounding.

“That’s more than all right,  _ cariño _ .” He leaned close enough to press a kiss to Keith’s temple.

Keith felt his face heating up, but before Lance could return to his previous position on the couch, Keith dropped his leg and turned, snagging the back of Lance’s head with one hand and pulling him into a proper kiss. They didn’t quite meet properly at first, making Keith even more embarrassed, but Lance didn’t pull away as he adjusted, so he counted that as a small win.

Well, maybe not so small a win. The feeling of Lance’s lips pressed against his sent tingles up and down his spine and he could feel his insides melting. And maybe more than just his insides. He felt himself sinking sideways onto the couch, pulling Lance with him until they were laid out along the length of the couch, Keith on his back and Lance half over him. Long fingers buried themselves into his hair as they kept kissing, forced to stop when one of the puppies started whining for food again.

*~*~*~*

When Keith returned to the Blades a few vargas later, Krolia was pleased to hear that the pups were in good hands. And then proceeded to tease her son about the mark on his neck, just barely visible over the edge of his suit. Even though the teasing made him blush, he couldn’t help bringing his finger up to the hickey and smiling softly. 


End file.
